AL Roundup: A-Rod returns at Yankee Stadium, boobirds in force

Saturday, August 10, 2013 -- The Associated Press

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MLB Coverage

Saturday, August 10, 2013

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Associated Press

NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez drew loud boos in his return home and the New York Yankees overcame Miguel Cabrera's crushing home run off Mariano Rivera, beating Detroit 4-3 in 10 innings Friday night and snapping the Tigers' 12-game winning streak.

Cabrera temporarily saved the Tigers by hitting a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Rivera that made it 3-all. The reigning Triple Crown winner connected while still hobbling after apparently fouling a ball off himself earlier in the at-bat.

Brett Gardner grounded an RBI single with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th to end New York's four-game losing streak.

The AL Central-leading Tigers were trying for their best string since 1934, when they tied the team record of 14 straight wins. That run ended across the street at the old Yankee Stadium when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig each drove in runs to down Detroit.

Gardner singled just past Cabrera's dive at third base. Al Alburquerque (2-3) took the loss and Shawn Kelley (4-1) got the win.

The Royals have won 15 of their past 17 games to move seven games above .500, matching their best record of the season.

Maxwell, whom the Royals acquired on July 31 from the Houston Astros for a minor league pitcher, homered leading off the second.

With the Royals trailing 6-3 in the sixth, he led off the inning with a single. The Royals sent 11 men to the plate in the inning against Red Sox pitchers Jake Peavy, Drake Britton and Pedro Beato.

Peavy, who was making his second Red Sox start since being acquired in a July 30 trade from the Chicago White Sox, yielded singles to Maxwell, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar to start the inning. Escobar's RBI single finished Peavy.

ATHLETICS 14, BLUE JAYS 6

TORONTO (AP) — Josh Reddick broke out of a slump by homering in three consecutive at-bats, and Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes also connected in Oakland's victory over Toronto.

Reddick was hitless in his previous 20 at-bats before connecting off Esmil Rogers with a solo blast in the second inning that hit the facing of the second deck in right. He hit another solo homer in the fifth, an opposite-field shot to left off reliever Neil Wagner, then smacked a three-run drive off Juan Perez in the sixth.

The home runs were the sixth, seventh and eighth of the season for Reddick, who has three career multihomer games. All three homers came with two outs.

Oakland came in batting .219 in 22 games since July 10, but set a season high in runs and pounded out 17 hits against the Blue Jays, winning for the sixth time in eight games at Rogers Centre.

ANGELS 5, INDIANS 2

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jered Weaver chalked up another win in Cleveland and Josh Hamilton hit a three-run homer as Los Angeles ended its four-game losing streak with a victory over Cleveland, which dropped its fifth in a row.

Weaver (7-5) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. The right-hander has dominated at Progressive Field, going 6-0 in nine career starts. According to the Angels, he entered the game as the first pitcher since 1916 to be 5-0 or better with an ERA of 1.52 or lower at any road ballpark.

Hamilton connected in the first inning when the Angels scored five off Scott Kazmir (7-5), who lost for the first time since June 10 — a span of 10 starts.

J.C. Gutierrez worked the eighth and rookie Dane De La Rosa had a 1-2-3 ninth for his first major league save.

Josh Willingham and Chris Hermann also went deep. Brian Duensing (6-1) picked up the win in both games, and the Twins prevailed in the nightcap after rallying to take the opener 7-5.

The big news came before the first game, with the White Sox trading Alex Rios to Texas.

Then, Justin Morneau hit a grand slam and solo homer to lift the Twins in the early game.

In the second game, Minnesota was trailing 2-1 heading into the eighth when Willingham greeted reliever Matt Lindstrom with a leadoff homer.

Arcia, who also homered in the first game, put the Twins ahead when he drove a 1-0 pitch from Dylan Axelrod (4-9) well beyond the center-field wall leading off the 10th.

RANGERS 9, ASTROS 5

HOUSTON (AP) — Leonys Martin hit a two-run double in a four-run eighth inning, and Texas rallied to beat Houston and tie a season high with its fifth straight victory.

The Astros led by one entering the eighth before Adrian Beltre tied it with an RBI single off Josh Zeid (0-1). Wesley Wright's two-out, bases-loaded walk of Jurickson Profar put the Rangers on top. Martin then belted a line drive to right field to score two and make it 7-4.

Matt Garza (2-1) yielded seven hits and four runs with eight strikeouts in seven innings for the win.

The Astros used five pitchers in the eighth inning alone, but it didn't help relieve their bullpen woes. Houston's relievers have given up the lead six times in the last 13 games and have blown six saves in that span.

BREWERS 10, MARINERS 5

SEATTLE (AP) — Yuniesky Betancourt highlighted Milwaukee's five-run fifth inning with his second grand slam of the season, and the Brewers beat the Mariners.

Once the Mariners starting shortstop, Betancourt came back to haunt his former club as the teams opened a three-game series. Betancourt's slam was his 13th homer of the season and he enjoyed every second of going deep against his former team. Betancourt drove the pitch from Joe Saunders (10-11) out to left, walking and watching as he left the batter's box, then flipped his bat before excitedly running the bases. It was his sixth career grand slam.

Norichika Aoki also drove in three runs as the Brewers scored 10 runs for the first time since June 12.

While the Brewers were knocking around Seattle's pitchers, Kyle Lohse was putting in another strong performance. Lohse (8-7) won for the seventh time in his last eight decisions, holding the Mariners to three runs in seven innings. Kyle Seager had a two-run single in the third for Seattle, but Lohse pitched out of trouble in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Lohse has lost just once since May 30.